Bourque, BU cut it close

By Bob Monahan, Globe Correspondent | February 15, 2005

Boston University freshman Chris Bourque didn't have a Valentine's Day date with a girl after scoring the winning goal in the 3-2 overtime victory over Northeastern last night. He had a date with a razor.

The 53d Beanpot's Most Valuable Player, who scored the winner at 14:10 of the extra session, stroked his chin and said with a smile, "This is my Beanpot beard. I've been growing it for about eight days and now it has to come off."

Bourque, the son of Bruins Hall of Famer Ray, made a splash in a tournament he has been close to since he was 5 years old.

"One of the main reasons I attended BU was to play in the Beanpot for a good school that has success in it," said Bourque. "I'm pretty sure that I attended every Beanpot tournament or watched it on television since I was a little kid. It is exciting and I like being part of it."

The Huskies outplayed BU over the first three periods, and Bourque was a bit frustrated. That all ended in the extra session.

Defenseman Bryan Miller, a senior who scored the first BU goal while the Terriers were shorthanded, got the winning play started with a rush up the left side.

Northeastern goalie Keni Gibson stopped Miller's first shot. Miller took a whack at the rebound and it hit the post but bounced past Gibson to the front of the net, where Bourque was waiting.

"I was just trying to get a shot on net," said Miller. "I did, and somehow it came right out to Chris and he had almost an empty net. Great goal."

Said Bourque, "When the overtime started I was really nervous. It was a terrific game, real close, and both teams were playing well.

"On the winning goal, I just saw the puck on the ice and their goalie was on the side. I was really excited when I saw it there, got some stick on it, and it went in. It certainly was a great experience."

Bourque had a few shivers thinking about all the goals his father scored in Boston. He saw his dad's name hanging from the FleetCenter rafters.

"I've got to tell you, that was really cool," he said. "Really cool.

"Just thinking about playing on the same surface as my father was just an amazing feeling."

BU coach Jack Parker was happy after his first-year player gave the Terriers their 26th title. "That goal was good for Chris's confidence," Parker said. "That's not to say that he doesn't have confidence. He certainly does. It was just that puck wasn't going in for him. He was a bit frustrated. He certainly got a good one tonight."

Bourque has missed six games this season with a knee injury, and acknowledged that it was still bothering him.

"But in a tournament like this, you just forget about aches and pains and play as hard as you can," he said. "You just keep going and try to win. We played well against a team that played well and we got ourselves another Beanpot."